Peter Zeisler, 81, Co-Founder of Guthrie

By DAVID CARR

Published: January 19, 2005

Peter Zeisler, who helped found the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and was for many years executive director of the Theater Communications Group, the national advocacy and service organization for nonprofit theaters, died on Sunday at his home in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. He was 81.

The cause was heart failure, said Lindy Zesch, a friend and former colleague.

Born in New York City, Mr. Zeisler became a stage manager on Broadway at 26. But in the late 1950's he tired of the commercial and political constraints of Broadway and became convinced that there was an appetite for both classical and contemporary theater elsewhere in the country. After some discussion with Sir Tyrone Guthrie and visits to seven cities, they set their sights on Minneapolis and all but pioneered the regional theater movement at the Guthrie Theater. Founded in 1963 by Mr. Zeisler, Sir Tyrone and Oliver Rea, the Guthrie featured Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy among its actors in its first year.

This repertory theater on the prairie, with Mr. Zeisler as its managing director and producer from 1963 to 1970, made an immediate splash. The Guthrie opened with 22,000 subscribers and advance sales of $300,000 in its first season of four plays. Life magazine called it the ''Miracle in Minneapolis.''

Others were not as impressed. ''I was walking down Madison Avenue,'' Mr. Zeisler recalled in a biographical essay for the Theater Communications Group, ''and I bumped into Leland Hayward, the pre-eminent New York producer and my ex-boss. 'Hi Peter. How are you? Say, how's that summer stock theater? Where is it, Milwaukee? Indianapolis?'''

Sir Tyrone was the Guthrie's artistic director from 1963 to 1966 and returned to direct each year until 1969. In 1982 the theater received a special Tony Award for its outstanding contribution to the American theater.

''The emergence of not-for-profit, decentralized theater started with the Guthrie foray in Minneapolis,'' said Gordon Davidson, artistic director and producer of the Center Theater Group in Los Angeles. ''Peter was the kind of guy who loved to take charge, as any stage manager would, but also he loved giving people the responsibility to do good work.''

In 1972 Mr. Zeisler became executive director of the Theater Communications Group. He retired in 1995 but continued to serve as an arts consultant to foreign governments and theater festivals.

Mr. Zeisler was never shy about his opinions, backstage or elsewhere. In his essay for the Theater Communications Group, he recalled reading a newspaper headline in 1945 that erroneously reported that Gen. George S. Patton had been killed when an Army truck struck the jeep he was riding in. Mr. Zeisler, who had served unhappily under General Patton in World War II, wrote a letter to the editor suggesting that the driver of the truck be awarded the Medal of Honor. He said he quickly received a visit from the F.B.I.

Before founding the Guthrie, Mr. Zeisler was a production manager for more than 20 Broadway shows, including the original production of ''Candide'' in 1956 and ''The Sound of Music'' in 1959. A graduate of Columbia University, he was also instrumental in founding the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Conn.

Mr. Zeisler is survived by his wife, the actress Helen Harrelson, and two sons, Mark and Eric.

''Peter never sought the limelight,'' said Lloyd G. Richards, the former artistic director of the O'Neill Playwrights Conference in Waterford, Conn. ''But working from the shadows, he was able to bring artists together with funding, artists together with good work, and artists together with other artists.''

Photo: Peter Zeisler in 1987. (Photo by Sara Krulwich/The New York Times)